The lights are dimmed, lamps are lit, table cloths are laid and mysterious boxes are waiting on the table. The participants of Sunshine Seniors group, supported by Age UK, are familiar with their cosy room in the Maidenbower Park Community Club. As the group enters, there are whispers of interest and intrigue. Thoughts of the lunch menu and the bingo prize are momentarily forgotten as they get themselves seated and settled to take part in something new. For people living with Dementia, chatting about memories and telling stories are held onto as precious moments. There’s a sense of anticipation as the scene is set for something creative to happen.
Creative Crawley exists to bring everyone the chance to be creative, and to ensure those experiences are led by high-quality, experienced artists. That’s why we decided to work with ShowPony – made up of theatre-makers Tara Boland and Kat Heath. ShowPony grew out of a company called Punchdrunk – a theatre company famous for placing the audience inside the story. ShowPony have designed these workshops to enable the Sunshine Seniors group to help shape a future show, which will explore memory, nostalgia, and reflection.
Even the simplest moments of these workshops were treated as something special. Tara and Kat didn’t just place the materials in front of the participants, they introduced them, made them special and relevant. The creaky, wooden boxes on the tables were full of sounds, smells, and sensations – vintage sweets, postcards, magazines and dolls toys. The first session began with the smell of talcum powder. Walking slowly around the room, holding plush, dark cushions in front of them, they surprised the participants by smacking the cushions, causing white powder to rise in clouds and fill the space. The smell quickly began to draw out memories, and the stories were flowing in full force.
The chance to share a story is a rare and meaningful one. You could see that the participants were finding the experience surprising – they were not used to people asking for their perspective and their memories. One member of the group found this especially challenging throughout the first few sessions – recalling memories and taking part in the activities felt outside of his reach. However, as the workshops progressed and got more specific, he began to open up, listening and responding with a steadily growing smile. Then came the key task – to create a post-card which reflected a past holiday. With the help of the dedicated Age UK staff, he put together a childhood memory – a trip to the zoo with his family, vividly describing colour, animals, his family, his feelings.
During the third session, the participants collectively created a ‘postcard from Crawley’. Tara and Kat spoke closely with each participant, prompting and exploring their relationship with their town. The artists used these stories to create a postcard featuring the entire group – each one photographed and edited in to fit with their story. For one lady, this was a reflection of her weekly routine – ‘every Wednesday I go shopping at Sainsbury’s and then use The Range café’. So, the cafe was added to the picture, with the lady sitting inside. For the Age UK staff, who work with this group week by week, the sessions revealed something new too. ‘It has been really lovely to discover more about the individuals in the group which they might not have shared with us before’ (Katie, Age UK worker).
The participants were given a copy of the postcard to take home with them – a pocket-sized reminder that they were heard and seen during these sessions. The Souvenir Shop matters because it places people who are left on the edges at the centre. It took the people with the least agency in society and gave them control and purpose.
A new show is being developed by Show Pony which is inspired by the stories shared in Crawley by the people from Sunshine Seniors. The Sunshine Seniors will have the chance to watch a work-in-progress sharing in June.
Written by Esme Davis (Producing and Production Assistant for Creative Crawley)
